Supporting the Reducing African-American Child Deaths Initiative

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On Tuesday, November 15, 2016, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Marlon Yarber, as part of a joint effort between Probation, the Department of Health & Human Services, and community organizations to reduce child deaths among African-Americans in the community, participated in a presentation to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. The Reducing African-American Child Deaths (RAACD) initiative was established following a 2013-14 Child Death Review Team report which revealed that African-American children die at disproportional rates – two times that of other children in the county.

Probation's objective is to decrease third-party homicide, one of four leading causes of death by focusing on the associated risk factors; increase family functioning and stability; increase school attendance and graduation rates while decreasing incidents on school campuses; increase employability by providing vocational training opportunities; decrease recidivism; and improve public safety.

Since becoming involved in the initiative, Probation has collaborated with community partners to meet those objectives by implementing strategies, which utilize a balanced approach including assessment, treatment, supervision and support. These strategies include collaborative community based multi-disciplinary teaming; programming to increase family functioning within the home, while addressing behavioral issues to include gangs, running away, anti-social peers, safety concerns, and delinquency; and programming with focus on mental health, trauma, substance abuse, vocational and educational training.

"Sacramento County Probation is excited to work alongside community leaders to positively impact health and well-being outcomes for all the youth in our region," said Chief Probation Officer Lee Seale.

The funding allocated to Probation supports two probation officers assigned to Sacramento City, San Juan, and Twin Rivers school districts as part of Probation's Education-based Supervision Model; two officers assigned to young adults, ages 18-24, with emphasis on participation in Probation’s Adult Day Reporting Center program; and one probation officer is assigned to a code enforcement team in the Avenues/South Oak Park neighborhoods to address issues of community blight with the ability to order referrals to treatment at the Adult Day Reporting Centers.